1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the delivery of personalized content over computer networks, such as the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
The relative low cost of transferring information over computer networks such as the Internet has deluged consumers with sales and marketing information. Much of the information received by consumers is transmitted upon request, such as when consumers view a specific Web page from a favorite or vendor. Some information, however, is pushed to the consumer, such as the case with advertisements, sometimes in the form of banner ads occupying a portion of the active area of a Web browser. Most often, the consumer has not requested the banner ad to be displayed. Its display results from an agreement between the owner of the Web site and the advertiser. Such ads are often rotated, so that repeat visitors to the Web site do not become habituated to the same advertisement each time they visit the Web site.
Some Web sites also feature links to other web sites featuring businesses with which the Web site maintains a strategic alliance or other contractual relationship. Such other Web sites may be termed affiliate Web sites. Such affiliate Web sites usually offer complimentary products and/or services. The affiliate Web sites may feature advertisements for products or services of the Web site(s) with which they are affiliated. For maximum effectiveness, however, such advertisements should be delivered in a controlled manner and the content thereof should be customized to a target audience or even to a targeted individual. However, conventional practice appears to be limited to blind rotation of static content and/or to changing the content display frequency to meet contractual terms. What are needed are methods and systems to maximize the effectiveness of content (such as advertising content, for example) to be displayed on Web sites. To maximize the effectiveness of the content and the delivery thereof requires the content to be customized and dynamically responsive to the specific individual or class of individuals viewing the content.